Secrets Revealed
by Sailor Centauri1
Summary: Buffy and Angel have a daughter, but she has grown up thinking Riley Finn is her father. Will she ever learn the truth, or will her duties as the Slayer destroy her? Find out!! UPDATED 09/26/2002
1. Prologue

Secrets Revealed   
By Sailor Centauri.

__ __

_AN:_ (09/26/02) FINALLY!! My NEW and IMPROVED chapter 6 is up and running folks! So please read and review! Chapter 7 will be up ASAP. 

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the BtVS or Angel characters. They are the property of Joss Whedon, the WB, and Fox. Any elements taken from the Manga and Anime Sailor Moon are the property of Naoko Takeuchi. I do however own Rebecca, Mark, and the events in this story. 

Author's Notes: This story takes place in the year 2020. But since I don't know what the world will be like then, the world of the future is exactly like our present. And yes, I'm aware that that doesn't make much sense. Just level with me though okay? Please and thank you. This is set after the events in the Angel episode "I Will Remember You" and also after Darla is brought back and made into a vampire again. And yes Joyce is dead, just like in the series. And Dawn isn't in this story or even mentioned, okay? Feedback is welcomed, but no flames please. 

> Thoughts.   
  


Prologue

A lone figure walked along the dark and abandoned alley in downtown Los Angeles. The figure was dressed completely in black, had a hood covering their face, and had their hands stuffed in their pockets. The figure walked with a slow purpose. They seemed to be scanning every inch of the alley very carefully, as if expecting something to jump out at them at any moment. 

Suddenly the figure stopped dead in their tracks. Something had moved behind them. A shadow. The figure slowly pulled their hands out of their pockets and revealed a wooden stake and listened intently for any small sound. Their breathing had picked up slightly. Part fear, part adrenaline. 

"Excuse me," Someone said from behind. The figure whirled around and in a blur of movement had the person pinned on the ground. The hood had flown back to reveal the face of a young girl, maybe fifteen or sixteen years old. She pressed the stake close to the heart of the person who'd snuck up on her. The person's eyes were wide in surprise as they looked from the girl to the stake that she held pressed above their heart, and back again. 

"What do you want?" The girl asked coldly. The man's mouth formed a cruel smile. 

"Your blood." Then he punched her sharply in her right temple and pushed her off of him. For a moment the girl lay on the ground stunned. Blood began to trickle down from her temple and down along her cheek.   
The man got up and walked towards her. "You know, for a Slayer you're really not too bright. I mean, your mother would never have fallen for anything like this." 

At the mention of her mother, the young girl's face became cold and sad. She fought back the tears that suddenly brimmed in her eyes and threatened to fall. She closed her eyes and pushed the tears back. Then she sprang to her feet and faced the man, but by now his face had morphed and revealed what he really was. A vampire. 

"Don't you ever mention my mother again you bastard," the girl said in a low, icy voice. "She was the greatest Slayer that ever lived." She tightened her grip around the stake she still held in her hand. 

"Yeah. And it's your fault she's dead." The vampire said with a cruel and mocking smile. This made the girl flinch. It was her fault, but she refused to let this abomination get the better of her by manipulating her emotions. She rushed forward and attempted to deliver a hard kick to the vampire's mid-section, but he countered and delivered another vicious hit to her right temple. She hit the ground with a thud and landed in a pile of garbage. The vampire laughed cruelly and went in for the kill. 

But he suddenly felt a sharp stabbing pain in his heart. He looked down and saw a stake sticking through it. The girl looked up from the ground at the same moment and also saw the stake. Then the vampire let out a scream and disintegrated into a pile of ashes. The girl looked at the ashes in surprise for a moment and then looked up to see who had shoved the stake through his heart. 

A tall man stepped out of the shadows. "Are you alright?" He asked as he offered her his hand. She nodded and took it. She felt her temple and realized that there was no more blood. It was just sore and she was starting to get a killer headache. Then she looked up at the man who had saved her. 

He also wore all black. He had dark brown eyes and hair, and looked to be in his early twenties. But his eyes looked much older and very sad. 

"Who are you?" She asked. The man gave her a half smile. 

"My name's Angel." He told her. Then he looked at her oddly. Something about her seemed almost familiar to him. "And you are?" 

The girl stood and stared at him in shock. It couldn't be! Not the same guy her mom had told her about. She shook herself out of her thoughts and focused on him again. 

"I'm Rebecca Summers. The Vampire Slayer."   



	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1   


Angel stared at the girl in front of him with wide eyes. Her name had thrown him for a loop. 

Is it possible?> he thought. Is she Buffy's daughter?> He looked her over carefully. She actually did look a lot like Buffy, only Buffy had blond hair. This girl Rebecca had dark brown hair and eyes. Not something either Buffy or her mom had. Come to think of it, Riley didn't have brown eyes and hair either. This struck Angel as odd. 

Rebecca looked at Angel intently. Something about him…struck her as familiar. She couldn't explain it. This was the first time she'd ever seen him, of that she was certain. But still, she felt oddly connected to him. 

"Rebecca!" Someone called in the distance. This caused Rebecca and Angel to break off the stare they hadn't even realized. "Rebecca!" The person called again with urgency. 

"Over here." Rebecca called back. Then a woman in her late thirty's or early forties came rushing towards them. 

"Oh thank God!" The woman said as she rushed passed Angel and towards Rebecca. "Rebecca are you alright? Don't go out here this late at night without telling me. I've told you that before. Patrolling here in LA is a lot different than in Sunnydale." 

Rebecca rolled her eyes at the woman. "Willow…" 

Angel's ears perked up at the mention of that name. But Willow kept going on and on about how Rebecca shouldn't go out on her patrols alone. That it was dangerous. 

"Willow." Rebecca said again with a little more force. Willow stopped mid-sentence and looked at the Slayer oddly. Rebecca indicated with her eyes that they were not alone in the alley. Willow turned slowly around to face the other person. 

"Oh…um…hello…" She stumbled, then she got a better look at his face. She stood in absolute awestruck amazement as she recognized the vampire she had once considered a friend. "Angel?" 

Rebecca's eyes widened again. Now she knew for certain. This was the same man that her mother had told her about. A vampire with a soul…a man that had broken her mother's heart. 

Angel smiled genuinely at Willow. "Hey Willow. It's nice to see you." Then he glanced back over at Rebecca. He just couldn't shake the feeling he had about her. 

Willow looked at Angel with wide eyes for a moment before smiling back at him. "Yeah. It's great to see you too Angel." Then she surprised both Rebecca and Angel by walking up and hugging him. He hugged her back. 

"Where are you two staying? Can I give you a ride to your hotel?" Angel asked after Willow released him and stepped away. Willow and Rebecca looked at one another for a moment. 

"We don't actually have a place to stay tonight. We just got into LA about 20 minutes ago." Willow said hesitantly. 

"Well, you can stay at my place if you'd like." Angel offered. Willow and Rebecca looked at each other again for a moment. Willow could see that Rebecca wasn't to thrilled with the idea. Angel was a vampire and she was the Slayer, but he had saved her life and her mother had told her that if she ever came across him, Angel could be trusted. 

Rebecca nodded slightly to Willow and Willow smiled. Then she looked at Angel. 

"Sure. We'd be happy to stay with you Angel." Willow told him. Angel smiled slightly at this. He really wanted to catch up on old times with Willow, and he wanted to find out everything he could about Rebecca. 

"My car is just outside the alley. Do you need a ride?" Angel asked the two women. 

"No, our car is just down the street. We'll follow you." Willow told him. Angel nodded and with that, the three of them left the alley and headed for their cars. 

When Angel was out of earshot, Willow looked at Rebecca. She had a somewhat distant and distracted look in her eyes. 

"Becca?" Willow asked gently. Rebecca snapped her attention back to the present and looked at Willow with wide eyes. Willow surpressed a smile. Buffy used to get that same look when you caught her day dreaming. Rebecca reminded Willow so much of a much younger Buffy. Not only with her physical similarities, but also with how Rebecca handled her duties as the Chosen One. Though Rebecca had suffered more loss in her first two years as the Slayer than Buffy had during her whole career. 

"Are you alright?" 

Rebecca sighed and looked seriously at Willow. "I don't know." She looked ahead at Angel. "There's something about him. I can't really explain it, but I feel as if I know him somehow." Willow's eyes widened at Rebecca in amazement, but she looked away before Rebecca noticed. 

Is it possible?> she thought to herself. Does she sense it?> She looked at Rebecca for a long moment. Rebecca was looking intently at Angel as they neared the mouth of the alley. It can't be possible. If she did than he would too.> She looked ahead at Angel. She knew from experience that he was always very good at hiding things, but Willow decided to wait before she said anything to him. She had promised Buffy that she would. 

Rebecca kept pretty much to herself through the entire drive to Angel's apartment, which was actually an old hotel. Willow guessed that she was trying to figure out why she felt as if she knew Angel. And the more Willow thought about it, the more she realized that it was time to talk to Angel. 

As soon as Rebecca had settled in and fallen asleep, Willow went down to the foyer to find Angel. He was sitting at his desk in his office reading the newspaper. He looked up at her and smiled kindly. She smiled back and sat down across from him. 

"Uh…Angel? Could I talk to you about something?" She was looking down at her hands and fidgeting. Angel's look turned serious and he set the paper aside. 

"What's up Willow?" 

She looked up at him slowly. She had promised Buffy that she would only reveal this to Angel if it was absolutely necessary to Rebecca's survival. But Willow felt that Angel had a right to know, she just really didn't know how to tell him. She took a deep breath and just started. 

"How much do you know about Buffy's death?" Willow asked him. Angel's eyes widened and became sadder than they normally were. She could tell that the death of his former lover was still hard for him to handle and come to terms with. Even though it had been two years since her death. 

"Not all that much." Angel said in a hushed voice. "I read about it in the paper. They said something about that the crime scene was a lot like a battle ground." 

Willow nodded slightly. "I'll start from the beginning then…" 

_Flashback_

"Rebecca?" Buffy called up the stairs to her daughter. 

"Yeah mom?" 

"Willow is here to take you out on patrol. And I think it's time you went." 

"Okay. I'll be right down." 

Buffy smiled slightly and went back into the living room to talk to Willow. "I'm so glad that you are taking such good care of her Will. You are the best Watcher she could possibly have." Then Buffy's eyes became grave. "I just wish that this new Master   
would move on. He seems to be pulling out all of the stops to break her." 

Willow nodded solemnly. "I agree with you that this new Master is bad. But there is something else I wanted to talk to you about." 

"If it's that prophecy again please. I will tell her when I'm ready. God knows what that news will do to her. I mean, the man that she has grown up thinking is her father...it would kill her to find out that Riley isn't her real father." 

"Are you at least going to tell her REAL father?" 

"No!" Buffy said quickly. Then she looked down at the ground. "I mean…I haven't talked to him or seen him in years. And he didn't even bother to tell me that that day had even happened. He knew for all those years and didn't tell me. I had to remember it when I was under that spell." 

Willow looked at Buffy with a lop sided smile. "Would you have believed him if he had told you?" Buffy looked up at her with a guilty smile. 

"Probably not." Then her face grew serious again. "Just…please give me some time. It's bad enough that Riley had to find out from the prophecy in the Codex. He was crushed." 

Willow nodded. "I understand Buffy. I'm just trying to look out for Rebecca." 

Buffy smiled and nodded just as Rebecca came bounding down the stairs. 

"I'm ready." She said as she slung her weapons bag over her shoulder. "This will be the Master's last night." She said as she banged one balled up fist into the other. 

"Be careful Becca." Riley said as he came around the corner from the kitchen with Giles, Xander, Cordelia, and Anya. "From our research he seems to be attacking in a holding pattern. And that message he sent you at your school…" 

"It's exactly like the one Angelus sent me the night he sent Drusilla to kill Kendra." Buffy said in a quiet voice. Rebecca looked over at her mom with a warm smile. 

"Don't worry mom. I will take care of him. Promise." Then she went and hugged her mother, father, and best friends. "So, we ready to go Willow?" 

"Yep. Let's go get him." 

They said their good-byes and left to go on their patrol of Sunnydale. They walked all around the town, but they didn't find very many vampires. Then they went to the Hillside Cemetery. The Master had sacrificed one of his followers to deliver a message to Rebecca during one of her classes at school saying that she was to meet him in the cemetery tonight.   
They walked around until they came upon a large crypt. Rebecca stopped in her tracks and signaled for Willow to stay back. 

Then he walked around the corner. "Hello Rebecca. I wasn't sure you'd come." 

Rebecca dropped her weapons bag to the ground and withdrew a stake from her coat pocket. "I wouldn't miss it. This is my chance to make sure that you don't hurt anymore innocent people." She stood in a battle stance that her mother had taught her. 

"Shall we then?" The Master asked. And with that, he lunged at her. It had begun… 

_* * *_

"Why does it seem that this Master is copying all of Angelus's torture methods? Targeting friends and family, and now that cryptic message in her school." Cordelia said, thinking out loud. 

Suddenly there was a loud crash of breaking glass. The group jumped to their feet. Buffy and Riley ran to the front closet and grabbed some of the weapon's they had stored there, but it was too late. The front door came crashing down, and the living room window exploded inwards as a group of vampires came rushing in. Buffy heard Anya scream as more vampires came flooding in through the back door. 

The battle was pretty much over before it had even begun. Buffy wasn't the Slayer anymore, her strength was almost completely gone. She had no chance… 

_* * *_

Rebecca and the Master fought furiously. Both were taking a lot of good hits, and Rebecca seemed to be tiring. The Master saw this and began to laugh uncontrollably. Rebecca stopped mid-kick. 

"What the hell is so funny?!" She screamed at him. 

"You are just as big a fool as your mother was. She fell for this trick too." He said with an evil smile. Willow's eyes widened suddenly. 

The night Kendra died. Oh my God!> 

"What the hell are you…" Then Rebecca's eyes also widened as she remembered what her mother had said about Kendra. "No…" 

Rebecca suddenly forgot how tired she was and raced as fast as she could back towards her house. Willow followed closely behind. 

"If you hurry, you might be able to see her before she dies." The Master called after them. 

Everything seemed to be going in slow motion for Rebecca and Willow. They raced as fast as they could through Sunnydale towards the Summers' home. Praying that they weren't too late. But their prayers came too late. Rebecca stopped for a split second when she saw the front door and window were broken in. Then she raced into the house. 

Upon entering, her whole world came crashing down on top of her. In a pool of blood that stretched almost the entire length of the living room lay the bodies of Buffy, Riley, Anya, Giles, Xander, and Cordelia. Rebecca couldn't take her eyes off of the body of her mother. 

Willow came rushing in shortly after Rebecca. She froze in absolute horror when she saw the bodies of her friends. Then she looked at the wall above the fireplace. There was a message. "Hope you like your present Slayer." Was written in blood. 

"No…" Rebecca said quietly. "NOO!!" Then she fell to the floor in a rushing flood of tears. At the age of only fourteen, Rebecca Summers had lost all of her innocence. Her entire family had been brutally murdered. All she felt now was a cold, empty, hollow space where her grief was. And a hunger…for revenge. 

_End Flashback_

Angel sat in a stunned silence. He couldn't believe what he had just been told. 

"Buffy…" he said in a sad, hushed voice. "My love." 

Willow sat in silence. Even after so long, it still hurt for her to talk about that horrible night. She let her tears flow freely down her face. 

"After the funeral, the Council called Rebecca and I away to travel around the world fighting some of the Master's forces. This is the first time in two years we've been back in the U.S." 

Angel nodded absently, then he got a puzzled look on his face. "What prophecy were you talking about?" he asked. Willow took a piece of paper out of her pocket and gave it to Angel. 

"Read this and you'll know." She said cryptically. He gently took the paper from her and read it. After a moment he looked up at Willow with wide, shocked eyes. 

"It can't be…Becca is…she can't…it's impossible." 

"No Angel. It is possible. And it's true." Willow told him. "Rebecca Summers is your daughter."   



	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2   


Rebecca got up early the next morning. She hadn't slept well, but she was already used to that. She had been plagued with nightmares about her parents' death ever since the night it had happened, but she still managed to hide her feelings of guilt and remorse. Willow, as far as Becca knew, had no idea about the nightmares or the fact the she blamed herself for what had happened to her parents. All that Willow seemed to know was that the bubbly and happy girl that Rebecca had been, despite her role as the Slayer, was gone. And in her place was a girl that refused to open up or get close to anyone. A girl that was cold as ice to anyone she didn't know very well, and a cold, calculated, meticulous Slayer. 

She was sort of glad that Angel lived in a hotel. She was able to take a shower, get dressed and do her make-up without having to worry about him seeing her. She was uncomfortable with the fact that she was staying with a vampire, but her mother had always told her that Angel could be trusted. He was on the side of good. Good for the world or good for him?> she thought resentfully. He was the one that first hurt mom by losing his soul. Okay, so maybe her sending him to hell wasn't the best thing either, but it was his own damn fault! As Angelus he was the one that tried to bring hell to earth! My mother had no choice but to stop him by any means necessary! And then after he was sent back, he leaves her. Just pretty much says "Hi honey! I'm home. Want to pick up where we left off? Oh right. I lost my soul because we made love. And instead of sticking around and trying to find a way to be with you, I'm going to rip your heart out AGAIN by leaving!"> 

She stopped and looked at herself in the mirror in surprise. She hadn't done a rant like that for a long time. She had heard this story from her mother when she first learned about being the Slayer. Rebecca hated Angel for what he had done to her mother, but yet, if he hadn't gone, Becca would have never been born. Her mother wouldn't have met her father, Riley Finn, at UC Sunnydale. And God only knows what the world would have turned out like. 

She picked out a dark purple tank top, a pair of baggy blue jeans, a black shirt for over the tank top, and black boots to wear for her first day of school, though there were still another three hours before she had to drive herself to school. Today was here first day at Hemery High. It was the same school her mother had gone to when she'd lived in LA. The same school where her mother had been approached by her first Watcher and told of her destiny as the Slayer. Truth be known, Becca was scared to go to Hemery, though she would certainly never admit that to anyone but herself. She was embarrassed to admit that she had no problem whatsoever with fighting vampires, demons, and other apocalyptic forces on a daily basis, but she was terrified beyond belief of going back to high school. 

Her experiences after her parents' death still weighed heavily on her mind. People in Sunnydale had said that Buffy and Riley had brought their death upon themselves. Some even accused Rebecca of being on drugs and in a gang. A gang which had gotten someone to kill the entire Summers' family. But nothing had hurt more than the treatment she received from her peers at school. All the kids there knew about her mother's reputation as a "troublemaker". Some said that Buffy Summers deserved to die. That she had given the town of Sunnydale a bad name. They called her trash. And that had infuriated Rebecca. She would go up to the people that said these things and punched them. Be they adult or student, she didn't care. No one would talk about her family that way and get away with it. 

Becca snapped herself out of her memories and left her room in search of something to eat. She took the elevator down to the main floor and was surprised to find coffee and doughnuts on the counter. She looked around, but neither Angel nor Willow were there. So she shrugged her shoulders and walked towards the food. Halfway across the large foyer she froze. Someone was there. Was watching her, and they definitely weren't friendly. She reached back under her black shirt and retrieved the small stake she had hidden in the back of her jeans. Then she slowly looked around, tuning her senses to the presence that was watching her. Trying to find where they were. 

She heard someone coming down the stairs behind her. She turned her head slowly to see who it was, the stake within her grasp and ready to strike. It was Angel. 

"Rebecca," he said in surprise. "What are…" 

"Shush!" Then she saw a figure dash away from the door in the corner of her eye. She spun on her heels and chased after them. She heard Angel running behind her and trying to catch up. Guess he saw the figure too.> she thought as she tore through the door and onto the street. But when she scanned the street, it was completely empty and deserted. She stopped at the entrance to the hotel parking lot and scanned the street again. Nothing. 

"Damn it!" she shouted as Angel came up beside her. She stuck the stake back into her jeans and turned to look at Angel. There was concern etched on his face as he too looked for the mysterious figure who had been spying on her. Then he turned to face her. 

"Are you alright?" he asked her, his concern deepening. Becca was a little taken aback by his apparent concern. 

Probably because I'm his ex-lover's daughter.> she thought bitterly. More than likely has nothing to do with the fact that he wants to look after me. Huh? Since when do I care if he cares about me?> Then she answered him when she realized that he was staring at her. 

"Yeah, I'm fine." Then she spun on her heels and went back inside. She could feel him staring after her, but she ignored it. 

She's my daughter.> Angel thought to himself as he watched her walk back into the hotel. I have a daughter. Not that she knows that I'm her real father or anything, and I can't tell her. She wouldn't believe me if I did. Hell, she'd probably stake me for even suggesting that Riley wasn't her biological father.> A look of firm resolve was now etched on his face. Even if I can't tell her, I can still do everything in my power to protect her. She's my daughter and I will die before I let any more harm come to her.> Then he looked up at the sky. 

"You have my word Buffy. I will look after her." Then he scanned the street one more time and went back inside. 

_* * *_

Hidden in the shadows of an alley across from the hotel, a female vampire, who had been no older than 25 when she had been turned, smiled evilly as she watched Angel go back into the hotel. Then she turned and slid down a manhole into the sewers. She walked for about fifteen minutes before she came to a large iron door. She knocked on the door three times and waited. Then someone slid a small looking door open to see who it was before opening the door. 

"About time you got back Arianna. The Master has been waiting for you." The other vampire snapped at her. 

Arianna simply growled low in her throat at him as she pushed past him. Then she turned to glare at him "Don't push your luck with me Frank. I made you and I can certainly destroy you. Or I could just get the Slayer to do it." At the mention of the Slayer, Frank backed down and shut the door. Then Arianna turned and walked towards the center of the hideout. There were bodies lying around the entire place. Some would soon rise and join the ranks of the Masters army, but most were simply dead. They had proven a satisfying meal for the other vampires. 

"Master," Arianna said as she sank to one knee in front of someone sitting completely in shadow. "I have news for you." 

The shadowy figure merely nodded for Arianna to continue. 

"The Slayer and her Watcher are here. And as you predicted, they are staying with that abomination in his hotel." 

"Good. Our plan is proceeding on schedule then." The shadowy figure said in a hushed voice. "Spread the news to the other camps around the city. And then continue your surveillance of the Slayer at nightfall." 

"Yes Master." Arianna said as she bowed again. "As you command, so shall it be done." 

"Good." Arianna got up to leave. "Oh, and Arianna?" She turned to face her Master again. He was leaning forward to reveal himself to her. She sucked in a breath when she realized that he looked identical to that traitor called Angel. "If you fail, I'll see to it that my mate has some fun with you and then gives what's left of you to the Slayer." His smile chilled Arianna to the very fiber of her being. He was pure evil and she had seen him make good on his threats before. Seen what his "mate" could do. But she hid her fear as best see could before bowing again and then almost running from the room. 

The Master couldn't help but chuckle as he watched her retreating form. Then he turned when he heard someone come up beside him. 

"You see my love, our plan is working. We will lure the Slayer, her watcher, and that…thing they call Angel to us." His smile grew as he extended his hand to her. She took it and stepped into the light. No matter how many times he saw her, she still had a mesmerizing effect on him. 

"Then we will have our party?" She asked sweetly as he drew her into his arms. She was insane, but he liked his women that way. It meant that they needed to depend on him. 

"But of course my sweet." 

"Oh, I can't wait." Then she grew serious and angry. "They will pay for keeping me and my sweet Angel apart." 

Now it was his turn to grow angry. He pushed her away from him, causing her to fall to the ground. His face contorted into its vampire visage as he stood over her. He could see the fear in her eyes, and that thrilled him to no end. "How many times must I tell you?! I am Angelus, Scourge of Europe. That weak simpleton living on the surface is Angel!" Then his face reverted back to human and he smiled as he knelt down next to her. "Oh dear, sweet Buffy. Why must you always confuse us? You know it makes me angry." 

The beautiful face of Buffy Summers looked back up at him and smiled evilly. Then her face contorted into that of a vampire. "And when my sweet Angelus gets angry, people die. Especially little annoying Slayers and their friends."   



	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Rebecca walked through the crowded halls of Hemery High with a cold, expressionless face, but inside she was scared to death. There were people looking at her oddly as she walked passed. She guessed that it must seem odd to them that a person would transfer in so late in the year. 

She found the office and took a deep breath before entering. She walked up to the counter in front of two desks where the secretaries were working away busily. She waited for about five minutes for one of them to acknowledge her. When neither did, she cleared her throat loudly and waited for a response. 

One of the secretaries looked up at her with an annoyed expression on her face. "Can I help you?" She asked in a level voice. 

Rebecca stood there a little dumbstruck by how badly this was already going, then she shook her head and answered. "Yes, I'm here to see Principal Manners. I'm a new transfer student." 

The woman sighed as she picked up a phone that was next to her and, apparently, called into the principal's office. "Principal Manners, that new transfer is here to see you." 

Oh goodie. I'm already being referred to as THAT transfer student. This is going to be hell. I just know it.> 

"What's your name?" The secretary asked as he placed her hand over the mouthpiece. 

"Rebecca Summers." Rebecca answered quickly. The woman's eyes widened considerably and Rebecca saw that her hands had begun to shake as she held the phone. Rebecca's eyes widened a little bit. 

Oh great. She remembers mom. Or does everyone with the name 'Summers' get this kind of treatment.> 

The principles door swung open with a slam. There stood a rather beefy man in his late forties. 

"Miss Summers. In my office." He said with a harsh voice. Rebecca looked at him with wide eyes and stood there somewhat surprised. When the man glared at her, she shook her head ever so slightly so that she could clear it and followed the man into his office. 

He sat down behind his large and expensive looking desk and continued to glare at her. Rebecca sat down and met his glare with one of her own. 

"So. You're the Summers kid. You look like a troublemaker. Guess you get that from your mother."   
Rebecca could feel her cheeks burning. She clenched her fists at her side and tried to ignore the urge she had to punch this man in the face. But she kept her face even. 

"So, is that troublemaking bitch of a mother of yours in town again? Or is she still to ashamed to show herself in this town?" Principle Manners had a sly, arrogant smile on his face. 

I know he's just trying to get a rise out of me. I doubt this guy even knew mom! Still, what a totally arrogant son of a bitch!> Rebecca thought angrily to herself. She was now REALLY having a hard time in not giving into her violence urge. 

Manners looked angrily at her. "Well answer me kid! Is that bitch in town or not?!" 

Rebecca glared at him and got quickly to her feet. She must have startled him because he seemed to jump backwards into his chair. 

"Listen to me very carefully, sir." She spat out the last word with scornful distaste. "I will not just sit here and listen to you bad mouth my mother." 

Manners rose to her challenge with a hateful glare. "You will sit here and listen to whatever I have to say Miss Summers. I will not let you destroy the good name of this school like your mother did. It took me years to undo the damage that she did and I will not let you destroy that." He continued to glare at her, daring her to standup to him again. 

Rebecca held his stare. Behind her back she began to finger the stake she had hidden there. But she began to scold herself. Come on Rebecca. It wouldn't be a good idea to murder the principal on your first day in school. Even if he is an asshole and deserves it.> She let go of the glare they had been holding and turned towards the door. 

"I'll be watching you Summers. One slip up and your ass is mine." Manners threatened. Rebecca turned around and glared at him again. Then she clicked her heels together and gave him the Nazi salute. She let a tight grin come across her face at his surprise and anger. She opened the door and stepped out, but then seemed to remember something. 

"Oh, and Mr. Manners?" She asked sweetly. When he looked at her the sweetness disappeared. "If you want to see my mother, why don't you go to hell and look for her." Then she slammed the door. 

The entire office was dead quiet. Everyone was looking at her. She saw a package with her name on it sitting on the counter. She grabbed it as she stormed out of the office and walked towards the washroom. She could feel the tears starting to well up in her eyes and she wanted to make sure that Manners wouldn't see that he had gotten to her. 

But when she entered the bathroom, she just about hit a tall blond girl that had been on her way out. 

"Sorry." Rebecca said shortly as she continued into the bathroom. The blond just stood there and stared at her. 

"Well sorry isn't good enough. Why don't you watch where the hell your going?" she spat at Rebecca. Rebecca stopped and turned to face the blond. 

"It was an accident, I said I was sorry. What the hell is your problem?" 

"I didn't have one until you walked into me bitch." Snapped the blond. "No one walks into Samantha Dawson and gets away with just a 'sorry'." 

Rebecca glared evenly at Samantha. What the hell is with me today? I'm here for less than an hour and I already have 2 enemies.> She thought. Give me vampires and demons over this any day.> 

"Look, Samantha. I said I was sorry and that is all you are going to get. I don't have to beg for your forgiveness because of an accident. Now why don't you run along?" Rebecca said as evenly as she could. 

Samantha seemed taken aback by how firm Rebecca was, but she quickly recovered. "Let me guess. Your new here aren't you and don't know who your dealing with?" Rebecca said nothing. "Okay, since your new, I'll cut you a break." She walked ever so slowly towards Rebecca. "But if you ever cross me again. You will regret it." Then she turned on her heel and left the bathroom. 

Rebecca simply stood there and stared after her. "Can you say B I T C H?" she mumbled under her breath. 

She looked at herself in the mirror. She could see the tears brimming in her eyes, but she forced them back. I sure hope Angel has some exercise equipment at his place. Because I will need it after today.> Satisfied that she didn't look as if she was ready to cry, Rebecca opened up the package she had picked up from the office. Inside it was her timetable and a number of forms that she needed to sign. She looked at her schedule with a sense of loathing. Math, English, Science, History…UGH! I shouldn't have let Willow pick my courses.>   



	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4   


The rest of the school day didn't go much better than her first hour back in school. She was looked at strangely because she did all her notes in a laptop that she carted around with her. She was stared at because she was able to type out two months worth of teachers' notes in each just 1 hour. Never mind the torture that Samantha decided to inflict on her every time that she saw Becca. 

"Stupid bitch!" Becca mumbled under her breath. "Can't even forgive an honest mistake!" 

She decided to go outside to eat her lunch. She found an out of the way place under a shady tree and pulled out her laptop and war history textbook and began to dive into her favorite subject. So naturally she didn't notice the guy looking at her from the picnic bench to her right. But her slayer sense kicked in as soon as he got close and without thinking she jumped up, tripped him, and pinned him to the ground. 

She didn't realize what she had done until a whole crowd of people had formed around them. It was then that she really looked at the guy she had pinned. 

"Umm…nice to meet you too." The guy coughed in a winded and husky voice. Becca turned redder than a fire truck when she realized what she had done. She looked down at the guy. He was HOT! Short blond hair, brown eyes, muscular, tall. Majorly crush worthy. 

"Um…I'm sorry!" she said quickly as she jumped to her feet and helped the guy up. And before he could say anything else, she grabbed her textbook and laptop and raced away. 

"Hey wait!" she heard the guy shout, but she could also hear the other kids laughing. She raced into the parking lot and towards her car as fast as she could. 

I can't do this.> she thought in a rush. It's been just me and Willow for so long that I can't even really remember how to act normal and not be the Slayer.> 

But when she heard footsteps behind her, she slowed down to a stop, but didn't turn around. 

"You know, if you keep sneaking up on me, you could end up with more than grass stains on your cloths." She said icily before she turned around. 

The guy smirked a lopsided grin. "Yeah. Next time it might be mud, blood, or a mixture of both." Becca didn't let the emotionless look leave her face, but she was surprised at how confident he was. Then it dawned on her. 

How could he have kept up with me? I was running full out, and as the Slayer it isn't possible for him to have caught me.> "And I know what your thinking." He said suddenly, crossing his arms in front of him. "Your wondering how I could have possibly kept up with you when you were using your Slayer speed." This caught Becca completely off guard. "How do you know…" 

He smiled at her. "Name's Mark. And I know a lot about you Miss Rebecca Anne Summers." He began to circle her. "For instance I know that you are the only child of Buffy Summers, and that you became the Slayer two years before your family was murdered." He stopped and looked at her closely. "I also know that you blame yourself for what happened to them." He walked up close and looked her in the eye. Becca was too stunned to say anything to him, she couldn't even really move. 

Finally the shock wore off a bit and she looked at him evenly. "Alright. You've got my attention Mark. Now what is it that you want from me?" 

At first he didn't answer, he just started to pace around her again. Then he stopped and looked out towards the street. "I don't want anything from you Rebecca. I just want to help you." 

She gave a sarcastic laugh. "Mark, I hate to tell you this, but no normal human can help me. Okay I admit that maybe you aren't completely 'normal' in that you were able to keep up with me, but still. I don't want to be responsible for your life. I have enough to worry about as it is. So I really don't see how you could possibly help me." 

He looked at her evenly and emotionless. "Meet me at the Hollywood club on Sunset tonight a 8. I'll prove to you what I am capable of." And with that he walked away. 

Becca just stared after him for about a minute before she started to walk back towards the school. Okay, I'll admit that I'm intrigued. I might yet have someone strong on my side other than Angel. Not that I really trust either Mark or Angel, but it would be nice not to have to fight alone anymore.> Then another thought struck her. Is it possible that it's all a setup? A plan to lure me into a trap?> She stopped for a minute to consider this, then shook her head. Nah. Vamps don't use humans to do their dirty work…then again. I'm not so sure that Mark is really human. I mean, I know he's no vamp, seeing as it's the middle of the day and he was in the sun, but maybe he's a demon disguising himself as a human?> She thought about this for the rest of the day. In fact she was so busy thinking about it that she didn't even register the insults that were flying her way courtesy of Samantha and her little group of followers. 

_* * *_

When the bell finally rang to signal the end of the day, Becca didn't waste anytime in getting out of there. She wanted to get back to the hotel as fast as she could. And she hoped that Angel had some equipment somewhere, because she needed to work out her frustrations. The drive back to the hotel was uneventful, which was just fine with Rebecca. She didn't want to face anybody right now. She was so up tight that she probably would have beaten the shit out of any and all people that decided to cross her. When she arrived back at the hotel, she was surprised to see Angel, Willow, and two other people sitting and talking together in the lobby. They all stopped their conversation at the sight of her. 

"Becca!" Willow exclaimed as she jumped up and hugged her Slayer happily. "How was your first day of school? I want to hear all about it." But at the sight of the cold expression on Becca's face she stopped her questions. 

"I don't want to talk about it right now Will." She said tightly. Then she looked at Angel. "Do you have a gym or something in this place?" 

Angel looked at her with a dumbstruck expression. "Yeah. It's in the basement. Is there…" But before he could finish his question Becca was up the stairs and heading to her room. 

Willow looked at Angel with a crestfallen expression. "I would say that it didn't go to well. I think we should let her work out her frustrations on a punching bag for a little while before we try talking to her again." 

"Is she always that short tempered?" The black guy sitting beside Angel asked. 

"No. Actually she can be a lot of fun to be around. But ever since…her mom died she has been cold and distant. Even with me." Willow explained to him. 

Charles Gunn got up from his chair and started to pace around the room. "I can imagine that she is probably extensively bitter about what's happened in the past. But she should actually let some people help her with her grief. Bottling it up and turning it into anger isn't healthy." 

Angel couldn't help but chuckle. "That's definitely weird coming from you Gunn. I remember how you were when I first met you. You were the roughest, toughest, SOB on the block." 

Gunn grinned. "Yeah. And then I met Fred." He said as he walked over to the woman sitting next to Willow and wrapped his arms around her. "And she changed me." 

Fred smiled warmly at her husband of 10 years. But her smile faded again when she saw Becca come pounding down the stairs in a sports top and sweat pants and head into the basement. 

"I think maybe you should talk to her Angel. I mean, you are her father." 

"Fred!!" Angel exclaimed. "Not so loud. I don't want her to know anything about that right now. She would probably kill me." 

"I don't think she would do that Angel." 

"Oh yes she would." Willow told her seriously. "She totally worshiped Riley. If any of us even joked that he might not be her real father she would kill us without a second thought." 

"And I don't want her to know." Angel said firmly as he stood up. "Not right now at least…" 

_* * *_

As Becca let loose on the punching bag she started thinking again about Mark, but she couldn't figure out why she was unable to get him off her mind. At first she thought that it was because he might be her enemy, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized that there was something more to it than that. 

He definitely is cute.> she thought to herself as she let a small smile creep across her face. And he's strong, and cute, and fast, and cute, and oh my God I've got a crush on him.> That thought just made her let out a kick that snapped the chains holding the punching bag up and it flew across the room. 

Becca's eyes widened when she saw what she had done. "Oops. I hope Angel doesn't get to mad at me for that." She walked over and was about to pick up the punching bag when something caught her eye. There was old baby furniture stacked up by the far wall. Stroller, crib, a box of toys and stuffed animals. And it was all in very good shape. Almost as if it had never been really used. She walked over and picked up a stuffed bunny from the box. 

Weird. Why would Angel have baby stuff here in the basement? Vampires can't have kids…> She was startled out of her thoughts when she heard running footsteps on the stairs. 

"Rebecca?" she heard Angel call with urgency. "Are you okay?" 

Becca put the rabbit down and turned to face him. "Yeah. I'm fine Angel. I just had a little accident. Nothing to worry about though." 

Angel exhaled a sigh of relief. "When I heard the crash I thought you were hurt." 

Becca was really surprised at how concerned he seemed. 

"Angel. Can I ask you something?" 

"Sure." 

"Why do you care so much about me?" She stood with her arms crossed and looked hard at him. She finally wanted to know what the deal was with him. If he really cared for her or just felt sorry for her. 

Angel looked her in the eye and told her as much as he dared. "I care about you Rebecca. And I want to help you in your fight against the Master." 

"Is it care or pity that you feel for me?" 

"I don't pity anyone. I just want to help you." He lowered his voice and looked at the floor. "I wasn't able to be there for your mother. I won't make that mistake again by letting you fight alone." He looked up her again. "But Buffy isn't the only reason." When she didn't say anything he continued. "I can't explain it," Which he knew was a lie, "But I have this incredible desire to protect you in anyway that I can. I know that you don't trust me, and frankly you have no reason to trust me, but I am determined to help you." 

Becca was actually speechless. She couldn't believe what he had just told her, and she fully believed him. She couldn't understand it for the life of her, but he had just won her trust. She uncrossed her arms and smiled at him. 

"Thank you Angel. That really does mean a lot to me. But I have one more question for you. What's with the baby furniture that you have stored down here? It's not yours is it?" 

Angel's face paled considerably and Becca actually saw some tears beginning to brim in his eyes. 

"Actually it is mine." He said after a moment. "It belonged to my son Conner." 

Becca stared at him in disbelief. "Your son? How could you have a son? Being a vampire and all, that isn't supposed to be possible." 

No kidding. But he isn't my only child.> Angel thought gloomily to himself. 

"I know it isn't supposed to be possible, but I had a son." He said after a moment of silence. 

Becca's face fell. "Had? What happened to him, if you don't mind my asking?" 

Angel went and sat down on the steps and put his head in his hands. Becca could tell that he was actually fighting back tears and regretted having brought the subject up at all. But she went and sat next to him on the steps. Angel looked up and just stared at the wall for a few minutes before he told her as much about Conner as he could bear. "Conner would have been as old as you are now. Maybe a little bit older." He began. "He was…kidnapped and taken into a different dimension when he was just a few months old. I haven't been able to find him since." A tear slid down his cheek. Becca just sat silently beside him and waited to see if he would continue. A sad smile spread across Angel's face. "He was a very handsome little boy… I loved him so much" A sob escaped him and he tightly shut his eyes as the tears began to flow. "But he was taken away from me. My little guy was taken from me by one of my best friends." Becca was stunned by the emotion in Angel's story. "I'm very sorry Angel. I had no idea about Conner." And to her great surprise she actually hugged him and tried to sooth him. She really had no idea what made her do it, but she just felt a burning urge to hug him. And to her even greater surprise, he hugged her back. 

They sat there like that for a few minutes, unaware that they were being watched by Willow. And she had a great big smile on her face. 

Finally,> she thought. Maybe Becca has finally found someone that she can relate to and open up to. And maybe, just maybe, she will discover that that person is truly her father.>   



	6. Chapter 5

  
**Chapter 5**   
****

After spending about 4 hours training and sparing with Angel down in the basement, Becca went up to change and get ready for her 'date' with Mark. She hadn't told Angel or Willow that she was meeting anyone, she just told them that she was going to go cruising around the city a little bit. Willow had objected to her going alone, but Angel had talked her into the idea. For which Becca was grateful. 

So at 7:30, she headed out towards the Hollywood club. She was dressed in black jeans, black runners, and a black hooded sweatshirt again. She knew that she didn't look very attractive, but she wasn't going out to party. She was going to slay. And that was one thing that she took very seriously. Right now slaying was the only part of her life that made sense to her. She went out each night, patrolled, killed some demons and vamps, went home, did some studying, and went to bed. It had become a way of life for her in those years she had spent traveling around Europe with Willow. 

She couldn't help but smile when she thought back to how Willow had insisted that she study every night after her slaying duties were over. 

Flashback 

"But Willow, I'm not in school anymore." The then fourteen-year-old Rebecca had insisted. "Why should I be studying and writing essays when no one grades them or even looks at them?" 

"I look at them Rebecca. And the only reason that you aren't enrolled in a school right now is because we are always on the move. But that is no reason for you to fall behind in your studies and be behind the other kids your age. Your mother and father would be doing the same thing if they were here." Willow had told her sternly. 

End flashback 

Man I was a pain in the ass back then.> she thought with a chuckle. Then her face turned serious again. But I had my reasons for being that way. And I think Willow knows and understands that. At least, I hope she does.> 

She made her way towards Sunset Boulevard and was amazed at how many nightclubs there were in this town. And a lot of them were actually letting people her age in, though they weren't able to buy or drink any beer. That was alright with Rebecca. She didn't like beer anyways. The one time that she had had some, she had nearly been killed by a newbie vampire. Xander, of all people had been the one to slay it and carry her home. Her mother and father had grounded her for a month after that little stunt, so she had sworn off alcohol. 

When she finally found the Hollywood Club, she wasn't thrilled to see that it was the most crowded out of all the clubs she'd passed, never mind that all the other people there were all dressed up in the latest fashions. 

Memo to me, start to dress a little better while staying in L.A.> she thought to herself as she paid the cover and walked into the crowded club. 

She couldn't believe how many people there were in the club. It looked really small on the outside, but was huge on the inside! 

I wish he had told me where I would find him or what he'd be wearing. At this rate it will take me the whole night to find him.> 

She made her way over to the bar, ordered herself a Cola and watched all of the people dancing, talking, a few drinking…all of them unaware what really went on in the world after dark. All unaware that in their midst stood the girl who was protecting them, and the world from falling into chaos. 

She sat down and slowly drank her soda as she mulled all of this over in her head. 

"You know, I've told you already once today that sneaking up on me could be fatal for you." She said to the person who had just walked up behind her. 

"Yeah. But you haven't done anything to me yet. So I think I'm safe for now." Mark said with a cocky tone. 

Becca turned around to face him and just about fell off of her chair at the site of him. He was wearing a black muscle shirt with black jeans and a long sleeved black shirt tied around his waist. 

WHOA! Talk about gorgeous!> she thought to herself as she looked him over again. He must have noticed her staring because he started to laugh. 

"What's so funny?" she asked seriously. 

"Nothing. It's nothing." He said with a chuckle. "How about we go for a walk and talk a little bit?" 

Becca looked him over again, but before she could answer, Samantha came up to them. 

"Hey Mark. Wanna dance?" she asked him, but she didn't wait for an answer before she started to pull him by the arm towards the dance floor. Mark gave one mighty shake and pulled his arm away from her. 

"Sorry." He told her in a cold, unsympathetic voice. "I'm here with someone." And he turned and walked back towards Becca, put his arm around her waist, and led her towards the door. She could feel the hateful glare that Samantha was giving her, but she let a sweet smile cross her face as she and Mark walked out of the club together. She even gave Samantha a little wave before walking out the door. 

Once outside, Becca burst out laughing. Mark looked at her and smiled. 

"I like it when you laugh." He told her as they started to walk towards the parking lot. 

Becca turned to face him. "I haven't laughed like that in years. Even though it was at Samantha's expense, it did feel good to laugh again." 

She leaned up against one of the cars. "So," she began awkwardly. "You said that you wanted to prove to me what you're capable of. How do you intend to do that?" 

"Well, actually I wanted to show you something. But first…I need to confess something to you." he hesitated and looked at the ground, and then at her. 

Becca's heart sank. Oh great…looks like my little romance fantasies are going down the tubs again.> 

He took her hand in his. "Rebecca, there is something that you should know about me." When she didn't say anything he continued. "I know that you have probably already guessed it, but I want to be honest with you." She held her breath and waited for the bombshell she knew was coming. 

"I…I'm not…I'm not…totally human." 

Rebecca's eyes widened and she grabbed her hand away from his. 

"So I was right then?! You're a demon sent by my enemies to destroy me?! I can't believe that I fell for this!" She just stood there staring at him for a moment. He seemed to actually have tears in his eyes, but she was so hurt and shocked and angry that she didn't care. 

"I was actually starting to trust you. Hell I was starting to LIKE you!! And now you come clean about not being human?! How could you…" 

He jumped up and covered her lips with his before she could finish her rant. At first she was shocked and horrified at what he had done and try to struggle away, but he held her tight, and after a few moments of trying to resist, she gave into the kiss. 

After about a minute he ended the kiss. Her first instinct was to slap him, but as much as she didn't want to admit it, she had enjoyed the kiss. 

"Now will you let me explain?" he asked her quietly. She simply nodded her head and leaned back against the car. She felt weak in the knees.   
"My name is Mark Walker. And I was born in England in the year 1897." Becca's eyes widened at this, but she didn't say anything. "I'm not a vampire or a demon Rebecca. So you don't have to worry that I will betray you to the Master or his henchmen. I have spent the last 30 some years tracking both the previous Master and this current one." He looked up into her eyes. "I have been watching you since the day you found out that you were the Slayer. I was watching your mother off and on throughout her career as the Slayer." 

Becca just stared at him and waited for him to continue, but when he was silent for over five minutes she asked him the question the was burning in her mind. "How could you still be alive if you aren't a vampire or a demon?" At this Mark laughed humorlessly. 

"I may not be a vampire, but that doesn't mean that some blood of a vampire doesn't run through my veins." Becca jumped back at this, but he took her hand gently in his and placed a finger on her lips to stop her from saying anything. "Let me explain. When I was 17, I was attacked by a vampire on my way home from the factory where I was working. He drank some of my blood and then attempted to turn me, but somehow I managed to fight him off. But not before I had swallowed some of his blood. I ran home as fast as I possibly could and, lucky for me, he was too stunned at my fighting him off to give chase. 

"Over the next few weeks I realized that I was getting some unusual abilities. I was able to run faster than the average person, I was stronger, and I had somehow learned how to fight. I couldn't explain any of it at that point, but over time I also realized that while people around me were growing old, I was not. That was when I realized what had actually attacked me that night." 

"But, I don't understand." Becca broke in. "I mean, by all accounts you shouldn't have survived that vampire attack. No one in history, and when I say history I'm talking about the Watcher's Council books, has ever survived an attack like the one you've just described to me. It isn't possible for a person to have the abilities of a vampire without being one themselves." 

"I know it is totally weird. I went to see a lot of different occult specialist over the years, and none of them could explain what had happened. All they told me was that the blood of the vampire that attacked me was running through my veins and it had passed on most of its abilities to me. I heal faster than a normal human, have the strength and speed of a vampire, and I am able to sense other vampires." 

Becca couldn't believe what she was hearing. Here was a guy, and a good-looking guy no less, that was 123 years old but looked 17. It was almost too much for her to handle. 

"Why me?" she asked. "Why have you told me all of this?" 

"Well, I trust you for one thing. And I told you before that I want to help you in your fight against the Master. And now that you know the truth about me, I was hoping that you would be a little bit more receptive of my help." He looked at her carefully. He had an almost imploring look in his eyes. She heaved a heavy sigh and looked up at the starry night sky. 

"Alright." She said after a long pause. She lowered her eyes and looked at him. "I'll give you a chance Mark. But I want to know one thing." 

"Alright." 

"What was that kiss all about?" Even though she wanted to, she was unable to hide the goofy grin that came across her face. Mark smiled at her. 

"Well…I told you that I have been watching you ever since you became the Slayer. And, well…" His voice dropped to a level barely above a whisper and he dropped his gaze to the ground. "Even though I tried not too…I fell in love with you." 

Becca's smile broadened and she took his hand. He looked at her again and she could tell that he meant every word that he had just said. Then she kissed him softly on the cheek, and they just sat there staring at each other for about five minutes before she looked away. 

"Hey, I think that we had better get some Slaying done tonight." She said as she got up and stretched her legs. He stood up and stretched as well. 

"Yeah. And I know a nest that has just turned up. How about we go and get rid of it before it gets too big to handle." 

Becca automatically slipped into Slayer mode and started walking towards her car. "I'll drive, you direct." She said shortly. He followed her and they headed for the nest. 

* * * 

Mark directed her to the old warehouse district of L.A. Most of the places were falling apart, but a few of them still were in okay shape. And as it turned out, the one that they were looking for was one of the worst looking ones in the whole district. 

Lovely.> Becca thought to herself sarcastically. Just how I wanted to spend my first real night in L.A. In a run down warehouse. Oh the joys of being the Slayer> 

They found what they assumed to be the front door and pushed their way in. But what they found stopped both of them in their tracks. In the middle of the warehouse was a caged ring where two vampires were fighting, and there was a crowd around the ring cheering them on. 

"What the hell is this?" Becca exclaimed in disgust. 

"I think this is how they practice fighting or something." Mark answered with equal disgust in his voice. Then a small grin came across his face. "But this might just work to our advantage." 

Becca looked at him with wide eyes. "Do I want to know what you're talking about?" 

He looked at her and grinned wider. "You'll see. Come on." 

They walked over to the ring and pushed their way to the front. They got a lot of hateful glares but Becca just returned them with one of her own and the vampires backed off. 

When the fighters saw two humans in the crowd, they stopped their fight. "Who the hell are you?" the one fighter asked them with a sneer. "Two more children looking for a thrill?" 

Becca's anger rose but she kept quiet. Mark seemed to have formulated a plan in his head and she wanted to see what it was. 

Mark laughed without humor. "No. But we are looking to fight. So any of you that are looking for a fight choose which one of us you want and we'll get started." 

There was a murmur from the crowd around the ring as they all looked at Mark and Becca. Seemingly to size them up and see how much food they would be getting out of each. 

"Alright little man." One of them said. "You're on. And I want to see what that bitch of yours can do." He leered at Becca. "How 'bout it babe? You ready to fight." 

Becca glared at him. "Move your ass into the ring and we'll see what you can do." He was taken aback by how firm and cold she was. There wasn't a hint of fear in her voice. 

The current occupants of the ring vacated and Becca and her challenger entered. Mark walked up to the outside of her corner and pulled on her pant cuff. She looked down at him, but didn't let her anger leave her face. 

"This is your plan?! To fight them all one at a time? I may be good, but I don't think that I can take them all on in one night." 

He grinned. "You won't have to. Once they see that we aren't regular humans. Most of them will figure out who you are and try to attack you or run away. And them we will both be fighting them. And I believe that we will win." 

Becca's eyes widened as he explained this. "What are you crazy?! We'll both end up dead. And I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to die just yet." 

Just then her Slayer instincts kicked in and she jumped to the side. A split second later, the vampire hit the spot where she had been standing. 

"Well, aren't we eager to die." Becca said to him with a grin. He snarled at her and lunged again. And once again she side stepped the attack and launched a kick in his direction. It connected and the vampire went flying all the way back into his corner. But he was quickly up again and charging. And again Becca launched a kick at him, but he caught her foot and threw her off balance. She went flying into her side of the cage back first and slid down. And before she knew it, her attacker was on top of her and pummeling her in the face. She felt the skin above her eye rip open and blood begin to trickle down, but she pushed the pain to the back of her mind and kicked out from under him. 

Her anger had reached its peek and before the vampire was able to recover, she kicked with him in the head with all of her strength, and he was decapitated. His head bounced twice before disintegrating into dust. 

The entire crowd was silent as she exited the cage and walked back over to Mark. He smiled warmly at her and wiped the blood off of her eyebrow. It had already stopped bleeding, then he looked at the other vampires. "Alright. Anyone else feel brave enough to take us on?" One female vampire stepped forward and simply pointed to Mark and then to the ring. Mark nodded his head and followed her into the cage. 

Mark made the first move as he drove his foot into her midsection and sent her flying face first into her corner of the cage. She was very slow to get up, but when she did she ran at him at full speed, but he was ready for her and rolled away just before she connected her fist with his nose. And before she knew what had happened, she got a stake through her heart. 

Mark got up and brushed the dust off of his shirt before leaving the cage and joining Becca at ringside again. She had an amazed and amused expression on her face. But when she looked back at the remaining vampires, her expression was one of hate. 

The remaining vampires simply looked at one another and, after a brief pause, made a run for the exits. That was when Becca leaped into action. She ran through the crowd of vampires, a stake in her right hand, and staked as many as she could. 

"Holy shit!" One of them shouted. "It's the Slayer! Everybody get the hell out of here." But that was when Mark also sprang into action. He also ran through the crowd with a stake and killed any of the vampires that he came close to.   
  
Within about three minutes, almost all of the vampires were dust. Only about five had managed to escape the warehouse, and the remainder of them were all crowded in a corner trying to hide from Mark and Becca. Mark started advancing towards them from one side and Becca moved in from the other, and all at once they charged and dispatched the remaining vampires.   
Becca threw down her stake shook her hair out. "Well, that was fun." She said sarcastically as she brushed her cloths off and looked over at Mark. 

"That was really weird." He said as he too brushed his cloths off. 

"What was?" she asked as she pulled off her sweatshirt and revealed her black tank top. Mark's eyes widened and his jaw dropped as he looked at her in the tight shirt. But he managed to make his face neutral before she noticed his shocked expression. 

"Well, that whole cage fighting stuff for one thing. It was all too organized for a simple vampire nest." 

Becca gave that some thought before answering. "Yeah, you're right." But she shrugged her shoulders. "But right now, I'm too hungry to worry about it." 

Mark burst out laughing. Becca looked at him oddly. "Sorry Becca. It's just that I had forgotten that after a battle all Slayers get hungry." Becca smiled at him and chuckled. "Come on. I'll take you out for something to eat." They joined hands and walked out of the warehouse. 

* * * 

"So, why did you decide to fight all the," Becca asked as she took a bit of her burger and chewed it. "Forces of darkness? I mean, I understand about how you aren't a regular human, but why fight?" They were sitting in a little café just down the street from Angel's hotel. 

"Well, I couldn't stand the whole idea that people were actually dying because of vampires, and demons. I knew that I was a lucky one to have gotten away alive. But the majority of the people attacked aren't so lucky. Most of them end up dead while others become a part of the dark army." He took a sip of his cola before continuing. "I have watched a lot of innocent people be destroyed by the dark. I've seen people that I cared about be taken from me by the dark. And then, if they were turned I would have to destroy them or watch the Slayer do it." He stopped and looked away from Becca. "I've also seen Slayers fight night after night, after night, only to in the end be destroyed by the one thing that they had been fighting so hard to destroy." 

Becca stopped mid bite and looked away from him. He realized what he had said and immediately regretted it. 

"I'm sorry Becca. I didn't mean to bring that up." 

She turned back to face him and forced a smile. "It's alright. I'm dealing with it." And with that she turned back to her food and continued eating. 

I hate this!> Mark thought to himself. I wish that I could tell her everything that I know. But it would probably kill her to find out that her mother is now a vampire. She already blames herself for her mother's death. I doubt that she would be able to handle knowing about the vampire part too.> He looked at her closely as she ate her burger. I wish Angel would tell her he's her father though. I mean, she has every right to know that fact. But I'm not going to tell her. It's his job.> 

* * * 

Back at the Master's lair, Angelus and Buffy were sparing when Arianna came running in unannounced. 

"Master," she said breathlessly. "I have some distressing news to report." Angelus turned slowly towards her and fixed her with an evil glare. 

"What is it?" he asked shortly. 

"The Slayer and an unknown male have completely destroyed one of our recruitment warehouses." 

"WHAT?!" 

"I'm sorry Master. We were unable to stop them. Only myself and a few other's managed to escape the massacre." 

Angelus grabbed Arianna by her neck and threw her up against the wall. "So you're telling me that you managed to escape," he kicked her hard in her stomach. "But most of our new recruits were killed by the Slayer?" He kicked her in the knee. "And you did nothing to stop it?!" He was just about to kick her again when he felt a sharp stabbing pain in his chest. When the next blow didn't come Arianna also looked up and, to her shock, saw the end of a stake sticking out through Angelus' chest.   
  
Angelus wheeled around and was shocked to see Buffy standing behind him with an evil, satisfied smile on her face. But what shocked him even more was the look in her eyes. They were clear, focused and intelligent. He tried to say something but was unable to make his voice work. Her smile broadened at his speechlessness and she reached around him and gave the stake a hard turn. 

"Buffy." Angelus uttered just before his flesh disintegrated, leaving only his skeleton. A faint white mist flowed from the skeleton and absorbed into Buffy's flesh, and she began to laugh evilly. 

Arianna cannot believe what she has just witnessed. Not only was her old Master dead, and a new one appointed. But the one that killed him and taken his place was non other than his 'mate'. 

Buffy calmly walked over to a far corner and brought out a sledgehammer that she had hidden there. Then, as she looked down at the skeleton of Angelus, a look of rage and hatred came into her eyes and she pounded it into dust. She didn't even seem to realize that Arianna was even there. But when she was done pounding the skeleton, she acknowledged Arianna's presence. A look of extreme fear crossed Arianna's face. 

"Go and send word to all of our forces around the world Arianna. Tell them that it is time for them all to come to L.A." She turned to look at Arianna. "The time has come to announce ourselves to the Slayer at last."   
  
  
  



	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6   
__

_Six Months Later…_

"Angel!! Watch your back!?" Becca shouted as she punched the demon in front of her. She watched Angel land a punch on the demon in front of him and duck down in time to avoid what would have been a devastating head punch. But her moment's distraction gave her demon a free shot at her face. She felt as if she had just been hit by a semi-truck. She flew back ten feet and hit a wall with her back. 

"Rebecca!?" She heard Mark shout as he rushed to her side to help her up. But she was already up. She squared off with the demon again and this time gave enough force behind her round-house kick to break its neck. It dropped down dead and she launched herself over Mark and took out the demon that had been chasing him.   
  
"Nice move." Mark said with a wide smile on his face. Then he caught sight of another demon coming up behind her and rushed passed her to meet it head on. He drew a small dagger from under his jacket and stabbed the demon in the neck. It screamed in pain and quickly turned to hit him, but another dagger hit it in the back of the head before it could even draw back its arm to punch. Becca smiled and winked at him, and went to help Angel.   
  
Angel finished off the last of the demons and surveyed their work. "Not bad you two. We managed to take out those demons pretty quick and painlessly." Then he caught sight of Becca's face. She was covered in blood. He rushed to her side and looked her over.   
  
She flinched away from his touch. "I'm okay Angel." Then she looked down at her hands and saw that they were covered in her own blood. "Well, maybe not as okay as I should be. But at least my Slayer healing powers are coming in handy."   
  
He smiled at her. "Come on. Let's get back to the hotel so we can clean you up." Mark came up beside her and took her hand as they walked back towards Becca's car.   
  
"I think you had better drive Angel. I feel kind of light headed." She said as she leaned against Mark for support. She was stumbling quite a bit.   
  
Angel looked at her again and saw that she was also bleeding profusely from a wound in her leg. He turned back towards her and Mark and effortlessly scooped her up into his arms to carry rest of the way to the car.   
  
"I think we should take you to the hospital. Your leg looks like it might need stitches." He told her as he gently placed her into the back seat of the car. Mark climbed in beside her and held her in his arms while Angel took off his coat and pressed it firmly against the cut in her leg. 

"No!" She said fearfully. "No hospitals. I'll be fine by later on tonight. Let's just go home." Then she laid her head on Mark's lap and seemed to fall asleep. 

Just like your mother.> Angel thought to himself as he climbed into the driver's seat and headed towards the hotel. She hated hospitals too.> 

They arrived at the hotel about 20 minutes later. Becca was still fast asleep in Mark's lap and didn't even wake up when Angel stopped the car and picked her up to carry her into the hotel. She actually snuggled up against his chest as he carried her to her room. 

One day,> he thought to himself. I'll finally be able to tell her that I'm her father. I'll have a chance to be a father to her. And a good father… I just wish I could have had that chance with Conner.> 

He laid her down on her bed, took her shoes off and had a look at her leg. It was already closed and pretty well healed, for which he was thankful. He went to the bathroom and made a wash cloth wet. He then gently wiped the blood from her face and noticed a few gashes in her cheeks and forehead that had already closed and begun to heal. 

Man, she takes a beating and keeps on ticking. Even a normal Slayer would have had to go to the hospital after losing as much blood as she did tonight. So she must have really inherited some of my healing abilities too.> He couldn't help but shake his head at that thought. Over the last few months he had watched her fighting style very closely. There were elements to it that seemed to come completely natural to her. Even Buffy had had problems with some of the moves that she had been required to use, but Becca was faster than Buffy had been and her moments were more fluid. He smiled and brushed some of the hairs away from her calm face. 

He got up and left her room, closing the door gently behind him. He walked downstairs into the lobby to find Mark waiting for him. He had that 'we need to talk' look on his face. 

"Please tell me you aren't going to lecture me again." He said as he walked into his office with Mark following close behind. 

"Angel she suspects that you aren't telling her something." Angel stopped and looked at Mark. "Her visions and dreams are starting to revolve more and more around your relationship with Buffy. I think it's only a matter of time before she sees the vision of the day that she was conceived. The day that was supposed to have never happened." 

She isn't the only one who's having visions of Buffy.> Angel thought sadly. "I can't tell her. She wouldn't believe me." He turned and walked to his desk and pulled out the file of the case that he, Becca, and Mark had been working on. 

"Would you rather she have a vision about it and find out that way?!" Mark almost shouted. 

"No! Of course not." 

"Then you have to tell her. Angel I believe that in her heart she already knows, or at least suspects." 

"Why are you pushing this?" Angel asked angrily. "Why must you push and push and lecture me every day? I have to tell her when I am ready and when I think she will be ready to accept it." 

Mark just sat there and looked Angel in the eye. "I'm pushing this because I want what is best for the woman I love. And what is best for her is to have her loving father by her side. She needs you Angel. More than she will ever admit." 

Angel just stared at Mark in speechless awe. Never before had Mark openly admitted to him that he was in love with Becca. Sure they were dating and he had hinted at it, but never actually SAID it. 

A piercing scream suddenly sounds from Becca's room. Angel and Mark were up and running in a flash. They heard her screaming and crying but they didn't hear any other noises coming from her room. 

"Rebecca!?" Angel cried. "Rebecca what's the matter?!" But his only answer is another shrill scream. 

Angel reached her room first and rushed in with Mark close behind. They found Rebecca deep within the throws of a nightmare. She had kicked all of her covers off and seemed to be fighting something that only she could see. She was kicking with all her might and her leg wound had opened up again.   
Angel rushed into the bathroom to get something to stop the bleeding while Mark rushed to her side to try and wake her up. But as soon as he touched her she lashed out with a kick that knocked him halfway across the room and into Angel. 

"Holy shit she's strong!" Mark groaned as he untangled himself from Angel. Angel didn't say anything as he jumped to his feet and ran to his daughter's side. 

"ANGEL!! HELP ME!!" She screamed as she lashed out more kicks and punches at her invisible enemy. 

"Rebecca I'm right here. Wake up!" He told her as he grabbed hold of her arms. Mark grabbed her feet and they pinned her down. 

"Rebecca wake up. Come on sweetheart wakeup." Mark said. But both he and Angel together were barely able to hold her down. She twisted and turned and screamed at the top of her lungs. 

Angel couldn't help it. He needed all of his strength in order to pin her, so he vamped out. "Rebecca! Wake up!" he shouted. "It's me, Angel." Suddenly her eyes flew open and she stopped moving. 

"Angel?" 

He let his face revert back to human and let her go. "I'm here Becca." 

"Mark?" 

"Right here baby." He said as he let go of her legs and went to her side. Are you alright?" 

Her breathing was fast and she was sweating profusely. "I had a nightmare. It was horrible." 

Angel sat down beside her and took her hand. "What happened?" 

Mark picked the towel that Angel had brought from the bathroom off the floor and wrapped it tightly around her leg wound before sitting on the other side of her.   
Becca swallowed hard, trying to get a grip on her breathing before she started to explain. "I saw you Angel. You were in a steel coffin or something. And you were at the bottom of the ocean. I was trying to get to you to help you, but I couldn't. Then I saw mom." Angel and Mark glanced at one another. Had it been another vision? 

"I saw the night that she died." Tears began to stream down her face. "She watched as the others were slaughtered. I heard her screaming and crying, begging for her life." Angel couldn't help the tears from welling up in his eyes and sliding down his cheeks. "I heard her say that something wasn't possible. That Angel would never do this" she stopped and looked hard at Angel. "But it looked like you Angel. I mean I know that you wouldn't have hurt my mom, but the person that bit her looked EXACTLY like you." 

Angel touched her face soothingly. "Rebecca, I would NEVER have hurt your mother, never. I loved her…I still love her."   
None of them saw the two beings standing off to the side in the shadows. 

"Aw. You're so sweet Angel. After all this time, you still love me." The figure in front said with a humorless laugh as they stepped out of the shadows.   
Angel and Mark jumped up and immediately took defensive positions in front of Rebecca, but as soon as Angel's eyes focused on the beautiful, slender blond in the front, his knees gave way and he fell back onto the bed. 

"B…Buffy?" he asked in shock. He was shaking his head as if trying to clear it and make the image go away, but she merely smiled and started walking towards him and Becca. 

"What's the matter you two? Cat got your tongues?" Then she morphed into her vampire visage. "I was hoping to at least get a scream out of my dear daughter." She fixed her eyes on Becca. 

Becca couldn't breath. It felt like her whole world had just crashed down on top of her head. She saw what was in front of her…her own mother was a vampire…but her mind refused to accept it. 

"Don't worry Buffy. She spaces out from time to time." Said the other figure as they also stepped out of the shadows. "Hardly the makings of a good Slayer if you ask me." 

This time Becca let out a scream. Not only was her mother a vampire, but so was Willow! Tears began pouring down her cheeks as she looked at the things that had been her mother and best friend. 

Mark stepped in front of Becca and Angel to face off against Buffy and Willow. He drew a stake from the back of his jeans and held it in a ready position. 

"Get out." Was all he said to them. 

Willow morphed into her vampire visage and charged at Mark. He held his ground until Becca got up and quickly pushed him out of the way, taking to full force of Willow's attack. She was thrown back against the headboard of her bed and slumped down. 

Mark tried to get up to go help her, but Willow turned to face him with her arm out-stretched. Magic blue tendrils of energy shot out of her fingertips and wrapped themselves around his neck, picking him up off the ground. 

"You stupid child." Buffy said to him with an evil grin as she walked up and looked him in the eye. "Did you really think that you could protect her from me by keeping the truth from her?" 

Mark was struggling for breath as the magic energy tightened its grip around his neck. He wasn't able to speak, but the defiant look on his face was answer enough for Buffy. She slapped him hard across the face. So hard in fact that she was able to break Willow's magical hold on him and send him flying into the far wall.   
A fierce scream erupted from Angel as he too took on his vampire visage and charged at Buffy and Willow. 

"Oh no you don't lover." Buffy said as she whirled around and delivered a fierce round-house kick to his mid section, followed by two vicious shots to the face. "No one is going to interrupt my little mother-daughter talk anymore." 

Angel fell backwards and hit his head against the foot of Becca's bed. His face morphed back into its human form as he fought to stay conscious. 

"MOM STOP IT!" Becca screamed as she lunged at Buffy. But Buffy simply reached out and caught her by the neck, holding her at arms length. A cruel, humorless laugh escaped her lips as she watched Becca struggle to try and free herself. 

"What's the matter Becca? Don't you want any private time with your dear mother? After all, I can't have either of them interrupting our family discussion." She let her face go back to its human form as she leaned in close to Becca. 

"Did Angel ever tell you the little secret that he and Mark have been trying to hide from you for over a half a year?" 

"No Buffy. Please don't do this to her." Angel said as he tried to get up, but Willow simply walked up and punched him in the face. Now Angel was knocked out.   
Tears were again streaming down Becca's face as she looked at her mother. 

"What…what secret?" 

Another laughed escaped Buffy's lips as she looked at her daughter again. 

"They still haven't told you? And they call themselves your friends." 

Willow dropped her vampire visage and stood next to Buffy. She just laughed as Becca struggled against Buffy's tightening grip. Becca's face was starting to turn red from the lack of oxygen, but she fought against the unconsciousness that was trying to claim her. 

Buffy pulled her closer and whispered in her ear. "Haven't you figured it out yet Becca dear? The reason that Angel is so protective of you?" When Becca just stared at her, she continued. "He's your father." 

Becca looked at her mother with wide eyes and began to shake her head. 

"No….No that's not true….THAT CAN'T BE TRUE!!" 

"Oh, but it is Rebecca." Said Willow with a cruel smile. "He's known about it since the night that you and I first arrived in L.A." Becca just continued to shake her head in denial. The lack of oxygen was starting to take its toll on her, but she continued to fight to stay conscious. 

"It's not true! You're lying! Riley Finn was my father." Becca shouted at them. Buffy's smile disappeared at the mention of her husband and she tightened her grip around Becca's neck even more. 

"That bastard suspected all along that you weren't really his daughter. He said that you looked too much like Angel. But because of a spell that had been cast on me so that I wouldn't remember the truth, I convinced him that you were his. But then the codex proved me wrong…you are Angel's damn bastard child." Becca began to give way to the unconsciousness that was overtaking her. 

"You're the bastard child of an abomination of a vampire. A part demon." 

The last thing that Becca either saw or heard before the unconsciousness claimed her was her mother and Willow laughing at her.   



End file.
